1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to creating a graphical user interface using a software object that includes a representation of the graphical user interface, and which supplies the representation of the graphical user interface when it is desired to display the graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Java Management Extensions Technology is a new feature in Java. JMX technology provides a simple, standard way of managing resources such as applications, devices, and services. Creating a Java Management Extensions (JMX) management console is currently a two phase process:
1) Create the MBean on the server side—Management facilities are provided on the server-side by creating Management Beans (MBeans) and registering them with an MBean Server instance.
2) Create a client-interface for the given MBean—In order to offer the facilities of the MBean on the console an interface needs to be defined (HTML, Java Swing, etc.) and integrated into the console.
This can be a time-consuming and expensive process involving additional steps in which errors can be introduced (thus prolonging the development process). In addition, extending the interface to include new management features is a process requiring integration and cooperation between the MBean developer and the console developer (generally these two are not related) to both link the GUI elements to the appropriate MBean methods and provide a usable visual interface.
A need arises for a technique by which a JMX management console can be created that reduces the time and expense needed to create the console, and which reduces the likelihood of errors being introduced.